Constipation and Movicol

[chickiewoo]

Advice needed please! My son who is 3.5 has a history of constipation and has been taking movicol for last 18 months - usually one sachet a day which has really helped with the constipation even though it has made his poo really soft. I have tried to reduce the dosage on several occasions but he ends up constipated again with overflow problems. The trouble is now we have been trying to potty train him and he is doing really well with the wee - no accidents or wet pants, but is continually soiling his pants with poo. Again, each time we reduce his dosage we're back to square one with overflow and a dozen or more pairs of dirty pants in the bucket each day. I'm getting so stressed, which isn't helping matters, but just don't know what to do next. It doesn't help that he won't sit on the toilet to do a poo, though he will tell you when he's done one in his pants! Really worried that we're in a vicious circle and wondering if I should try and get another appointment with the paediatrician who prescribed the movicol in the first place? It's such a shame for him as he is wanting to wear pants when we go out, but I just can't risk it as the overflow problem is such a mess. I've tried to offer rewards for poos on the toilet etc. - but he's not interested. Also getting really stressed out with other Mums who just don't understand and say 'is he still in nappies?' - really getting me down. Any advice would be really appreciated x

HI

I have a 6 year old son with the same problems chickie (he's always been bunged up from a baby).

Is he like this on one sachet or when you drop the dose off totally?

We've just had a meeting with paed at local hospital as ds has had a tough time of it for the last 3 months-constant overflow (sooo know how frustrating that is for you and your little chap ).He told us to trust our instinct on the dosage ,he's been on movicol since he was 3 and that we know best on that front but he did mention that ds's fluid intake needs to be dramatically increased for the movicol to work at optimum levels.

We had been putting into smallish cups of juice as ds hates the taste (not too bad in hot chocolate and perfect when mixed into sugar free jelly)-he advised us to make up movicol into larger quantities of fluid,so we use a water bottle now and ds just sips on and off throughout the day-maybe your son isn't drinking enough fluids? We have had 2 poos in 2 days (yeaaa) when at times-he was going once a week at most and on most days ,was going through 4-8 pairs of pants.

He also said that treating constipation is a long process and that ds would stay on the movicol until his bowel could be retrained back to normal (not over stretched with impacted poo) which could take a long time

Go back to your gp and make a new appointment with previous consultant-you really need support throughout this and for them to chart your son's wellbeing and how he gets on with the movicol.

Our local hospital has a contipation nurse too,who phones and advises ideas..maybe your paed unit does too?.

here.

It's pretty exhausting isn't it..

Link again...

here

we had this year 5 years with dd1. A few things that helped us was very slow on reducing movical. Also we gave her a yachult (sp?) every morning, the effect was so good Also bubbles on the loo, as impossible to hold poo and blow out.

Its hard but your really need to go with what works for you.

Please know certain fibres have the effect of causing constaption rather than helping so try not to let him eat too many banana's and fibre cereal. HTH

My dd 3.11 is on the same dose and we have the same prob with overflow. She is still doing a poo in a nappy but is fully toilet trained for wees. She usually has a poo at the same time everyday and just goes and puts a pull up on herself- she only ever goes at home, so we just let her do it,its better than the alternative as she can hold up to 16 days and after 3 sachets of picolax

Raise feet up on a step too,when sat on the toilet-dh is very good at make ds laugh when sat on the the toliet,often he poo's after a good bout of giggles

Thanks to you all for the advice - it's so good to know that we're not alone in this. We don't have any problems with him drinking the movicol (I mix it with water and then add to his usual drink of watered down apple juice). I would say he drinks a lot of fluid each day, so am not concerned about that, but will try and up his fluid intake to see if that helps. He usually has one sachet of movicol a day, but when he gets really loose (after 2-3 weeks)I've tried to knock it back to every other day, which seems to work for about a week, but then we go back to the overflow problems. My reasoning for going to every other day was that the poo might firm up a little and then might give him the sensation to push it out and try and get him into the routine of controlling it - but perhaps I'm totally wrong on this and expecting too much. I just can't seem to get the dosage right with the damn stuff!!! My husband thinks I'm worrying too much, but I just can't help feeling anxious and thinking about him starting school next year and being the only child in nappies or having accidents in his pants which could lead to bullying or causing emotional problems for him. This may seem like I'm over-reacting, especially compared to other peoples problems, but I've got to the stage where it seems to be taking over our lives. Poshwellies - how have you and your son coped with the overflow problems and attending school? (sorry, if I'm being too nosy) Anyway, onwards and upwards, I've made an appointment with our GP next week and am going to ask for another referral to the Paediatrician for further help. Wish me luck .......... Any more advice would be greatly received

Hi chickiewoo

My ds has had quite few days off (yr1) due to this recent bout of overflow which does concern me greatly.

The trouble is,I simply can't send him into school (he refuses to wear pull ups saying all the boys would laugh at him etc) with the overflow-he would be back and forth from the toliets (he is a obsessive wiper at the best of times) and I can't expect a teacher or TA to be helping clean himself up allday-4-8 changes on a bad day,I feel that is better to deal with him at home during these episodes rather than sending a very unhyappy and uncomfortable little boy to school.

I'm not sure what the answer is tbh.

We have a appointment with the constipation nurse next week to draw out a plan of attack-hopefully this bout will be over asap and we can get him back to being happy and healthy.

Oh and Hiersprungs(sp?) was mentioned but the consultant said ,even if ds has it(he would have to have a bowel biopsy-not really that keen for him to go through that),the treatment plan would be the same as he's got now.

Thanks for that Poshwellies - really feel for you. Fingers crossed that your appointment next week will be a positive one. I think if we could even get to the stage that mummytopebs is at, I would feel a bit more in control of things. Chins up, chickens, will keep you posted on how we go, and thanks again to you all, you've been a great comfort xxxxx

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Hi all - update from me as follows. Went to see our GP yesterday, who was very sympathetic but quite frankly not that interested, however, he has agreed to refer us to the Paediatrician again - which was what I was hoping for anyway, so fingers crossed the appointment comes through fairly quickly and we can get some specialist advice and maybe some help from the 'poo nurse'. Thanks for your advice Pitchounette - have now adjusted the dosage by trying half a packet a day. Been doing this for last 3 days - so another fingers crossed to see if this improves the situation. I also read on here somewhere that in some cases bananas aren't good as they can cause constipation (which I never knew) so we are avoiding those like the plague! - anyone heard of this?

Glad your lo is getting referred.

Ds went to see the poo nurse this week-he asked alot of questions (we haven't seen him for a few years) and has put him on a high fibre and dairy free diet for a month (he's not had dairy for last 3 weeks so far and is pooing much more).He's going to call in 2 weeks and see how we are getting on.He wants to do some blood tests too-to rule out any other bowel conditions .

Also got a chart-has to sit on toliet 3 times a day for 5 mins after meals,and blow bubbles while sitting

He's currently on 3 sachets but poo nurse said we may take that up to 8 over easter and do a clear out.Fab!.

Hear that bananas are constipating too,ds doesn't eat a great deal of them anyway.

we've reduced dd's movicol by making it up and just tipping some of it down the sink. Reducing gradually has worked better than giving sachets on alternate days.

We also give her blended dried fruit mixed with her breakfast in the morning - prunes, apricots etc. That has helped loads and loads and we have significantly cut the movicol as a result

All the best

Hi

I just found this message by accident but im so happy i did! My daughter was admitted into hospital on Tuesday as she hadnt poo'ed for 3 weeks. After keeping us there all day they just told me to up her dose of movicol to 8 sachets a day until its shifted then to bring it down slowly. My daughter has had these constipation problems since she was born. They were first blamed on breastfeeding and now on being a picky eater. In fact the doctor in the hospital said it was just her!!! Anyway its now Saturday and there has been alot of liquid poo come out (everywhere! even in a nappy!) but no big lumps but she does seem a bit happier not crying as much but she is still quite lathargic. Im so worried that she will not be able to go back to pre school as she is back in a nappy and seems to have lost all control over her pooing. Also my gp mentioned hershprungs (cant spell!) which i know very little about and its the first time i have heard it mentioned. I am so exhausted with all the tears and pain and nothing i can do. Noone seems to have any answers i think she has an intolerance but the only thing they have tested her for is ceoliac is this possible to be the cause? I would just love to hear from other mums going thru the same thing i feel so alone with it all and so helpless. I dotn really understand what im supposed to do with the movicol im not sure how long she is supposed to be on it and how slow im supposed to be reducing it. HELP!!!!

Hi Di79 - I really feel for you and know exactly how you feel! I don't think there is an easy answer to any of it, but I had a bit of breakthrough today. By chance, overhearing a conversation by a complete stranger and hearing them talk about incontinence, I butted in and told them my tales of woe. They gave me a telephone number of the local incontinence team (didn't even know they existed!) and one of the nurses rang me this evening. Have to say I cried buckets after our chat, because she was so lovely, so understanding and really knew exactly what we have been going through as a family and how I'm emotionally exhausted by the whole matter. This has been the first time I have spoken to a professional who actually listened, sympathised and offered to help us. Interestingly enough, she and her colleague are overrun with child patients with the same problems and her clinic is full to bursting. She has suggested we go for a complete planned 'clear out' over 7 days starting movicol from 2 sachets on day 1 to 8 sachets on day 7, and then after this start again on one sachet a day. First I have to get my little one checked over at the surgery (which I'm doing tomorrow) and she is going to ring me on Friday to see if the GP has ok'd the 'clear out' and then programme it in (I work part-time, so think we're going to plan it around the days I don't work and possibly Easter). I know we have an awful long way to go and she did say that it will take time, but she was so positive and comforting to me, I felt such a relief to have this support. Poshwellies is going for a 'clear out' over Easter too, so maybe we can share our experiences! The nurse did warn me that its going to be messy and she's also advised me to put the toilet training aside for the time being. Not sure if you have an incontinence team or nurse near you, but my GP and Health Visitor have not been helpful at all and if I'd known about this nurse before then I could have contacted them alot sooner. You are not alone - I've felt quite useless as a Mummy not being able to help my little one, and I've tried all sorts of combinations with the movicol of half sachets, every other day etc. etc. but am just not getting anywhere. Hope this helps and keep in touch with developments. I'll update you all as things happen over the next week or so. Take care

Hello I also really feel for all of you and can sympathise, my ds also suffers from chronic constipation not as bad as some of your little ones. Has anyone tried cranial osteopathy? I never considered it for this, but a friend recommended it. I just thought it was for newborns that wouldn't settle but apparently it can be useful for all sorts of problems, we went yesterday they were really lovely,not sure what to do now though, daren't really stop the lactulose but if I don't how wil I know if the osteopathy has had any effect? But anyway, I am open minded and think anything is worth a try. I really hate giving him all that suagary latulose when brushing his teeth is not his favourite pastime!

Hello, I've just been reading these messages and keep reading about 'overflow'. Can you tell me what it is? My 5 year old daughter has suffered from constipation since birth and I've just come across this website which is really helpfull and informative. Hoping for an answer - Erin

Bump as I too would like to know what overflow is...

Not sure of all the medical terms but overflow is when the bowel impacts then the liquid comes out over the impaction like diahorrhea - i believe well this is what happens when dd has it

Hi there - we also tried cranial osteopathy about 18 months ago which was prior to our appointment with a Paed. and before we started on the movicol - this was on a recommendation from another Mum and we were willing to try absolutely anything. We had about 6 sessions but to be honest, it didn't make any difference to our situation, though it was a relaxing experience for our son! Don't let this put you off though - it may work for you! Lactulose just didn't work for us and we also tried glycerine suppositories - which were a complete nightmare!

Anyway, an update on my previous posting of the planned 'clear out' as follows - we've just finished the 7 days - not as messy as what I expected (but then, we were pretty messy before we started!) - our son tolerated the increase in dosage extremely well with no ill effects. The nurse has been absolutely fantastic, ringing me every other day for a progress report and support, and we are now starting back to one sachet a day to see how things settle down over the Easter weekend. It is going to be a long haul and we may have to adjust dosage along the way - just need to see what happens - will keep you all updated.

As for 'overflow' my understanding is that it is where some hard poo is trapped higher up in the bowel causing only watery poo to pass by it and leak out - being very smelly and in our case a bit 'gritty'. As there is no proper bowel control with 'overflow' that is why it leaks out. For us, the hard poo never came out, it was just gradually broken down by extra movicol.

Please bear in mind that the above comments are just from our own experience and what I know and I'm learning more and more every day! Be good if other readers can post you their comments and advice.

Hi, yes I understand now what overflow is. It is something my daughter suffers from everyday. It some time gives her a bit of a sore bottom like nappy rash, we have to put cream on sometimes. It's hard when she's at school all day and wearing the same underwear. At least at home we can change her as often as needed. Thanks for that. Has anyone one had to take their child for an enema?? We are seeing the doc at hospital next week because dd had had a build up and we've been trying to get up to 12 sachets of movicol into her a day for the past week. Not easy!! If it's not all out by next week the specialist said she would give her an enema. According to what I've read online it sounds pretty horrible. Any advice?

you have my sympathy my little boy had really bd constipation for over 2 years and it literally had me i tears so many times as several visits to the gp just resulted in them prescribing lactulose which didn't do anything. I eventually lost my temper with the health visitor one day when she seemed shocked my 3 year old was still in nappies and i had to explain this was just for the 'overflow'. Anhow cut a long story short we got referred to a paediatrician and he was amazine felt my little boys tummy and said it was shocking he hadn't been referred earlier. Many sachets of movicol later (up to 5 a day at one point) he really started to respond and a year down the line he is right as rain. you really have to go back and check on the dosage but basically they need to have a good clear out before it will work. stamp your feet and make sure they take notice as i totally understand just how awful your situation is - my son was 6 months late starting school because if this and the peadiatrician said they gp's were giving him totally the wrong thing - good luck x

Sorry, but have no experience of enema's and they've not been mentioned as far my son is concerned. Hopefully someone will post a message with their experience/advice for you. We find that sudocrem is the best for sore bottoms in our house.

12 sachets is a heck of a lot (our max was 8 sachets a day) - we've done 2 sachets (4 times a day) mixed with no sugar juice and didn't have any problems with him taking it, though I have read on here that some children just don't like the taste of it mixed with anything and can't be fooled into drinking it. The nurse also told me that movicol takes 3 days to work and that it is most effective when the child is drinking a large amount of liquid - but I guess you probably know that already!

abba3 is so right! You really have to make a fuss or you'll just be fobbed off with being told to give them a better diet, drink more fluids etc. etc. My GP and Health Visitor have been next to useless and made me feel as though we were doing something wrong - by chance I found out about the Incontinence Team and have now started the road to recovery - fingers crossed xxx

Just a quick update..

Ds is doing fine-we didn't need a clear out this week,he's now on 3 sachets a day (and with a increase of fibre,no dairy and liquid increase)and we are roughly on 5 poo's a week-and very little withholding and no overflow as of the last 3 weeks.

I'm so thrilled (as is dh and obviously ds too).

Keep on folks!